Intermediate course · Intermediate lesson 11
Plans in Tehran are always conditional: if the traffic isn’t bad, if the weather is good, if your friend’s cousin can come. This lesson teaches Persian conditionals with اگه age (if; written: اگر agar), how to talk about what would or would have happened, and how to say “when” with وقتی vaghti. It builds on the subjunctive you met in Intermediate Lesson 3.
Real conditions: if it rains…
For something that may or may not happen, use age followed by the subjunctive (the be- form). The other half of the sentence can be in the present, which also covers the future, or an imperative.
| Persian | Say it | English |
|---|---|---|
| اگه بارون بیاد، خونه می‌مونم | age bârun biyâd, khune mimunam | if it rains, I’ll stay at home |
| اگه وقت داشته باشی، بیا | age vaght dâshte bâshi, biyâ | if you have time, come |
| اگه ترافیک نباشه، زود می‌رسیم | age terâfik nabâshe, zud miresim | if there’s no traffic, we’ll get there quickly |
| اگه می‌خوای، با هم بریم | age mikhâi, bâ ham berim | if you like, let’s go together |
| اگه دیدیش، سلام برسون | age didish, salâm beresun | if you see him/her, say hello from me |
Grammar note: Three patterns follow age. The subjunctive is the default for an uncertain future: age bârun biyâd. The present is used for something already true now: age mikhâi (if you want, as you do now). And the simple past is very common in speech for something that must happen first: age didish, salâm beresun, literally “if you saw him, give my regards”.
Remember that dâshtan (to have) and budan (to be) have their own subjunctives: dâshte bâshi (you have) and bâshe (it is). The negative simply adds na-: age nayâd (if he doesn’t come), age terâfik nabâshe.
Unreal conditions: if I had known…
To talk about something imaginary, or something that did not happen, spoken Persian uses the past continuous (the mi- + past form from Intermediate Lesson 6) in both halves of the sentence. The same pattern covers “if I knew, I would…” and “if I had known, I would have…”; context tells you which.
| Persian | Say it | English |
|---|---|---|
| اگه می‌دونستم، بهت می‌گفتم | age midunestam, behet migoftam | if I’d known, I’d have told you |
| اگه دیروز میومدی، علی رو می‌دیدی | age diruz miyumadi, Ali ro mididi | if you’d come yesterday, you’d have seen Ali |
| اگه پول داشتم، یه خونه تو شمال می‌خریدم | age pul dâshtam, ye khune tu shomâl mikharidam | if I had money, I’d buy a house in the north |
| اگه جای تو بودم، نمی‌رفتم | age jâ-ye to budam, nemiraftam | if I were you, I wouldn’t go |
| کاش می‌دونستم | kâsh midunestam | I wish I knew; if only I’d known |
Two verbs break the pattern: dâshtan and budan never take mi- here, so it is age pul dâshtam and age jâ-ye to budam. Shomâl, “the north”, is what Tehranis call the green Caspian provinces where many families have holiday homes. In formal writing you will also see the past perfect in the agar half: agar zudtar âmade budi, if you had come earlier.
When and whenever: vaghti
وقتی vaghti (or vaghti ke) means “when” in the middle of a sentence. Do not confuse it with the question word key? from beginner Lesson 10. Like ba’d az inke, vaghti takes the simple past when it refers to a future moment.
| Persian | Say it | English |
|---|---|---|
| وقتی رسیدی، زنگ بزن | vaghti residi, zang bezan | call when you arrive |
| وقتی بچه بودم، تو اصفهان زندگی می‌کردیم | vaghti bache budam, tu Esfahân zendegi mikardim | when I was a child, we lived in Isfahan |
| وقتی بارون میاد، ترافیک بدتر می‌شه | vaghti bârun miyâd, terâfik badtar mishe | when it rains, the traffic gets worse |
| هر وقت خواستی، بیا | har vaght khâsti, biyâ | come whenever you like |
| فردا میام، مگه اینکه بارون بیاد | fardâ miyâm, mage inke bârun biyâd | I’ll come tomorrow, unless it rains |
| زود بیا، وگرنه جا نیست | zud biyâ, vagarna jâ nist | come early, otherwise there won’t be room |
Use vaghti for things you expect to happen and age for things that may not: vaghti residi assumes you will arrive; age residi is less certain. Mage inke (written: magar inke), unless, is followed by the subjunctive.
Dialogue: Planning a Friday hike
Ali: جمعه چی کار می‌کنی؟
Jom’e chi kâr mikoni?
What are you doing on Friday?
Hannah: هنوز نمی‌دونم. چطور؟
Hanuz nemidunam. Chetor?
I don’t know yet. Why?
Ali: اگه هوا خوب باشه، با بچه‌ها می‌ریم دربند.
Age havâ khub bâshe, bâ bachehâ mirim Darband.
If the weather’s good, we’re going to Darband with the others.
Hannah: عالیه! اگه بارون بیاد چی؟
Âliye! Age bârun biyâd chi?
Great! What if it rains?
Ali: اگه بارون بیاد، می‌ریم موزه. وقتی رسیدی میدون تجریش، بهم زنگ بزن.
Age bârun biyâd, mirim muze. Vaghti residi meydun-e Tajrish, behem zang bezan.
If it rains, we’ll go to a museum. When you get to Tajrish Square, give me a call.
Hannah: باشه. فقط اگه زودتر می‌گفتی، سام هم میومد.
Bâshe. Faghat age zudtar migofti, Sâm ham miyumad.
OK. It’s just that if you’d told me earlier, Sam would have come too.
Ali: اشکال نداره، دفعه‌ی بعد!
Eshkâl nadâre, daf’e-ye ba’d!
Never mind, next time!
New here: بچه‌ها bachehâ literally means “the kids”, but among friends it means “the gang”, whatever their age; meydun is the spoken form of meydân (square); behem means “to me”; and eshkâl nadâre is a friendly “no problem”.
Tehran tip: Friday is Tehran’s day out, and the trails at Darband and Darakeh in the foothills of the Alborz are busy by mid-morning. You will hear اگه خدا بخواد age khodâ bekhâd (God willing) attached to almost any plan, from Friday hikes to business deadlines. It is a polite way of acknowledging that plans can change, not a sign that someone is unsure.
Practise
- Say “if it rains, I’ll stay at home”.
- Choose the right form: age vaght (dâri bâshi / dâshte bâshi), biyâ.
- Make this unreal: age pul dâram, ye mâshin mikharam.
- Say “if I were you, I wouldn’t go”.
- Vaghti or age? ___ bache budam, tu Landan zendegi mikardim (when I was a child, we lived in London).
- Say “call me when you arrive”.
- What does age midunestam, behet migoftam mean?
Show answers
- اگه بارون بیاد، خونه می‌مونم age bârun biyâd, khune mimunam.
- dâshte bâshi: age vaght dâshte bâshi, biyâ.
- age pul dâshtam, ye mâshin mikharidam (if I had money, I’d buy a car).
- اگه جای تو بودم، نمی‌رفتم age jâ-ye to budam, nemiraftam.
- vaghti.
- وقتی رسیدی، بهم زنگ بزن vaghti residi, behem zang bezan.
- If I’d known, I’d have told you (or: if I knew, I’d tell you).
Flashcards
Test yourself
Summary
- Age (written: agar) + subjunctive is the standard real condition: age bârun biyâd…
- Age + present is used for something true now; age + simple past for something that must happen first.
- Unreal conditions use mi- + past in both halves: age midunestam, behet migoftam. Dâshtan and budan drop the mi-.
- Vaghti (ke) means “when” and takes the past for future moments; har vaght is “whenever”.
- Mage inke (unless) takes the subjunctive; kâsh introduces a wish.